Forget Bowsette, Gooigi is a Luigi doppelgänger made out of slime, and this one actually has Nintendo's blessing

You can now play as Gooigi in Luigi's Mansion 3DS, a "green doppelgänger" made out of a puddle of goo

Nintendo games are in no short supply of weird and wonderful characters. From Animal Crossing's anthropomorphic axolotl Dr. Shrunk to... whatever the heck Birdo is meant to be, the Japanese gaming titan clearly enjoys making the most of its creative liberties when it comes to character design.

One of Luigi's Mansion's new features on the 3DS is a multiplayer co-op, where two players can adventure through the main story together. The question of how Nintendo was going to narratively contextualise that multiplayer wasn't entirely clear, until now, when players have finally been able to discover the truth upon Luigi's Mansion 3DS' release.

Upon starting the multiplayer mode, Professor E. Gadd will introduce you to Gooigi, a "green doppelgänger" of Luigi, made entirely out of slime. This is who Player 2 will represent in your game, and they can do everything Luigi can, aside from dissolving into a puddle of goo if left stationary for a certain period of time.

But wait, there's more. According to the official Super Mario Wiki, Gooigi was originally created by Professor E. Gadd during the events of Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, and sent back in time to test his skills alongside the Luigi of the original game.

Naturally, Nintendo fans everywhere have been left in a near catatonic stupor of hysteria and ecstasy by this revelation, where every piece of fan art comes with five more questions about the latest character of the Mario universe.

Is Gooigi sentient? Does he have a soul? Will he show up in the next Mario Kart, or even Super Smash Bros. Ultimate? Could he be a character in the upcoming Switch sequel, Luigi's Mansion 3? Does this mean there's a Wagooigi out there? Can I get a Gooigi Amiibo made out of calcified gelatin?

All valid queries, I'm sure you'll agree, but Luigi's Mansion 3DS is surprisingly short on details about the nature and backstory of Gooigi, so I guess we'll have to wait and see whether Ninty brings back the character for future Mario titles. Seeing how he's already proving to be a fan favourite, it sure seems likely.

Luigi's Mansion is out now on the Nintendo 3DS. For more on the long-running portable console, check out the best 3DS games that you can play right now.